1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying system management information, a computer product for the same, and an operation management system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying system management information, a computer product for the same, and an operation management system that can support a system manager to investigate a system when an error occurred, and provide a prompt settlement of the error.
2) Description of the Related Art
With a spread of a so-called open system, it is now popular to build an information processing system by combining hardware and software from a variety of vendors. In such a multi-vendor environment, a system manager is required to acquire a proficiency in operation systems uniquely provided by each of the hardware and the software, which is quite a big burden to the system manager.
To support the system manager to work in the multi-vendor environment, an operation management system has been developed, and is now widely in use, in which management of different hardware and software is performed in an integrated fashion using a unified system.
One of the significant functions of the operation management system is a message management function that collects a message to the system manager, which is output to a log and the like by the hardware or the software, and display the message on a monitor of an operation management terminal. With this function, the system manager can figure out an error occurred in all of the hardware and the software and a sign for the error with nothing other than observing the monitor of the operation management terminal.
A technology for such an operation management system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Publication No. Hei-07-230424 and Japanese Patent No. 2000-207372.
However, the conventional operation management system has a drawback in supporting the system manager to work after recognizing an error occurred.
When an error or a sign for the error is displayed on the monitor of the operation management terminal, the system manager needs to perform an investigation to check a situation of the error occurrence and to figure out a reason of the error. Because the information collected by the operation management system is limited to basic information, the system manager must refer to information provided by the hardware or the software relating to the error to investigate details of the error. It is a difficult operation due to following two reasons.
The first reason is a difficult in selecting on object of the investigation. For example, when an error in an application response has occurred, it is necessary to check an operation status of the application by referring to a management display for management of the application, or to check a status of a central processing unit (CPU) or a memory by observing a management display for management of a server. At this moment, a kind of know-how is required to pick up information relating to the error from among various pieces of information provided by the hardware or the software in an appropriate manner.
The second reason is a difficult in accessing the object of the investigation. Even though the information to be investigated is successfully selected, the investigation is not possible without acquiring the information. As described earlier, because each of the hardware and the software has a unique management system, the system manager must obtain a mastery of a method of acquiring information according to each of the management systems.
If there is a missing in selecting the object of the investigation, or if there is a trouble in accessing the information on the object of the investigation, it becomes late to figure out a reason of the error, and as a result, it causes a delay in fixing up the error. A time-lag of the error may not only cause an inconvenience to a user, but also invite a loss of money. To avoid such a case, it is highly demanded for the operation management system to implement a function to support the system manager to work after recognizing an error occurred.